Neil Matthewman, CEO of national health and social care charity Community Integrated Care

The Chief Executive of national social care charity Community Integrated Care, Neil Matthewman, has been recognised for his exceptional achievements in care, winning the Leadership Award at the prestigious 3rd Sector Care Awards earlier this month.

Neil collected the award, which recognises an individual who has ‘significantly contributed to a culture of care and service excellence’, this afternoon, from TV personality and campaigner, Esther Rantzen. The ceremony was held at the London Marriott Hotel.

Community Integrated Care is one of Britain’s biggest social care charities. It supports almost 5000 people with learning disabilities, mental health concerns, autism and age-related needs – such as dementia, across England and Scotland.

Neil’s success recognised his development of a bold Five Year strategy for Community Integrated Care, which has the vision of it becoming ‘The UK’s Leading Health and Social Care Charity.. This strategy has seen it pursue an ambitious programme of investment and organisational development, with the aim of offering the highest standards to the people it supports and creating innovative new solutions to issues facing the care sector.

As well as supporting change within his own organisation, Neil has also generously shared his skills with other leading groups. He is an active board member for several care sector groups, including the National Care Forum. He has also worked with Skills for Care, the national training and workforce development body for adult social care in England, speaking at their 2014 National Conference.

This success follow’s Neil being bestowed the Outstanding Contribution to Social Care Award at the Great North West Care Awards, held in Manchester last month. This award celebrated Neil’s three decades in care, which has seen him transform the lives of tens of thousands of people across the country, working in a number of senior positions in both local government and care provider organisations.

The 3rd Sector Care Awards were jointly backed by the leading representative bodies for the social care sector – the National Care Forum, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group, Housing and Support Alliance, Care Provider Alliance and Mental Health Providers Forum.

This week’s event rounds off an incredible year for Community Integrated Care, which has been shortlisted for an unparalleled 35 prestigious care awards in 2014.

Neil says: “It was a tremendous honour to receive the Care Leadership Award at the 3rd Sector Care Awards, in recognition of the many successes that we have achieved at Community Integrated Care over the past year.”

He continues, “I am proud to lead more than 5000 passionate colleagues, who are dedicated to offering the very best services to the people we support. Together we have helped our organisation to grow and support more people, enhanced the quality of our work, and raised the profile of the fantastic contribution that social care sector makes in Britain. I’d like to dedicate my award to all of my colleagues and the people we support, who share this success with me.”